Blue Moon
by Mandy Hartzler
Summary: AU. The Cullens moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. It's been five years since Bella's change. Only what none of them could imagine, was what they would find there... new vampires, new friends and maybe even enemies... R
1. Meeting

Blue Moon

Chapter One

Meeting

"Hey, Mandy! Check those two new 'uns out! _Lovebirds_." She smirked. That was just _so_ Ginny… I sighed. I looked over to the said couple and stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes, I knew, filled with shock and fear. My best friend, Michelle, who had been walking a step behind me, bumped in to me.

Me and Michelle were commonly mistaken for as sisters. Our extremely white skins, topaz-colored – or, usually so… sometimes they were black – eyes, the constant dark circles under our eyes and the fact we were inseparable, were probably the reasons for such mistake.

"Oh, sorry Mandy!"

"No problem, Chelle. Listen…" I hesitated. " look at those two." I pointed out the newcomers.

Chelle's eyes widened in shock and fear, mingled with curiosity. Her food tray trembled in her hands. I held her hand warningly. She had never lost control and I wasn't about to let her have her first time now. We exanged a quick glance and headed confidently – or as confidently as we could – towards the table where the two had sat down. On our way over, we passed our usual table, and I caught Ginny and Sarah staring at us. I sighed. I'd have to do something about them. Later.

The two new ones were strikingly similar to me and Chelle. Same colored skin, same colored eyes and they even had circles under their eyes too. But the eyes were what called my attention. _Topaz_. Of course so. I frowned, but felt better. I half expected red.

Chelle looked up at me. I straightened my eyes and sighed.

"Both of them. Keep your thoughts to yourself close to him, though."

She nodded grimly. The boy's eyes widened in undisguised surprise. And fear. He feared us. Interesting…

"Hello. My name is Amanda Lee, and this is my friend, Michelle Morgan. But please… call us Mandy and Chelle." I smiled. "Would you mind…?," I asked pointedly, looking at the empty seats.

He was faster.

"Not at all." he said, answering my question. "I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my girlfriend," he flinched slightly at the word, "Bella Hale."

"Hello Edward and Bella." I said, sitting in front of Bella, while Chelle sat facing Edward.

"Are you two liking Little Rock?" Chelle inquired.

"Oh, yes!," Bella piped up "it's amazing! Many surprises," she smiled and eyed us.

"I'm glad you like it here. We don't get much sun, though," I replied. Just to make _sure_. Chelle looked at me as if I were crazy. I rolled my eyes at her, but Edward smiled.

"Yes… it was a surprise for us, too… meeting you two," he said, frowning. "How didn't Alice see this…?"

I frowned, confused. The reply was simple. But the question… I looked at Chelle and then at Bella. Bella seemed to be about our age. Eighteen. She must be very old, I thought. Her gaze didn't alter, no matter how close a human got to her. I was astonished. That was something I had never seen before. She was obviously at complete ease…

"Did I hear my name?"

"Yes, Alice," Bella said, speaking to someone behind her. It was a short girl. She was small, but as soon as my gaze fell on her, my eyes widened in complete amazement. I heard her gasp of surprise when she noticed me and Chelle.

I hardly noticed. I was shocked. This girl could see the _future_?

"Alice, these are Mandy and Chelle. Chelle, Mandy… this is Alice… Alice Cullen, Edward's sister," Bella presented us.

"Hi Mandy! Hi Chelle!" Alice greeted, as she took her seat next to Chelle. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock pretty fast. I couldn't say the same about myself…

I looked at Alice warily.

Edward saw my gaze and laughed.

"We all know what all of us at this table are. And it just happens that our friend here, Mandy, has an amazing ability."

"Not that useful, usually. Not all of the time…" I mumbled. He nodded, thoughtful

"I guess not. But some…"

"I'm amazed" I looked at Alice, ignoring Edward's comment

He laughed again

"Yes. It can be _extremely_ useful sometimes." He smiled. I nodded.

"I know all your powers…but hers." I pointed at Bella, sitting in front of me.

"Mine is immunity," she explained "I can block anyone's powers if I want."

I nodded. It explained things. All eyes then, turned to Chelle. She smiled. Then, Chelle looked at the table. I shot her a warning look and prodded her foot under the table. It worked. Her smiled faded and, instead, she resumed to staring at my plastic knife.

It moved to the other end of the table without anyone touching it.

All eyes diverted back to her again. Chelle smiled shyly. All three pairs of topaz eyes turned to face me.

"Well… what I can do, is a bit similar to what Edward can do, really… you see… I can… well, basically, I can do, see and hear almost anything that's going on, will go on, has gone on and even implant thoughts and ideas that people would have _never_ had if left alone…"

Alice squealed happily.

"This is so much _fun_! I never thought… well… it's a surprise meeting you two. Do you live together?"

"No."

"Oh…" she seemed surprised

"We live with our boyfriends," I explained

"Oh! Are they also vampires?"

Edward looked at her warningly when she said the word _vampires_. But no one was paying attention at us.

"Yes. Recent ones, though."

"How recent?" It was Edward this time.

"Five years now."

Bella's eyes widened.

"I'm five too!"

"_What?!?!?_" I chocked. I was truly shocked. And here was me, thinking she was old… she seemed so at _ease_… "how do you manage…?"

I looked at her eyes again. Topaz.

She smiled ruefully

"It took me less than two years to control myself well enough. I _wanted _this. It was easier than I thought it would be…"

I knew I was staring, but this was incredible! The way she talked about it…! I swayed a bit. She said she had wanted this… how very strange…

"Oh! Here they come! Took them long enough! I thought they had run off! Mandy, Chelle… these are Rosalie and Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen. Rose, Jasper, Emmett… these are Mandy and Chelle." Alice presented us.

I looked ahead, diverting my shocked gaze from Bella to look at the newcomers. Rosalie and Jasper were blond. By their surnames, they must be Bella's siblings… Emmett was big and muscular. He was a Cullen, indicating he was Edward's and Alice's brother. It was all so confusing. Were all the Hale as young as Bella…?

Edward saw my thoughts and explained.

"These are the names we use for human people. We actually aren't blood related at all."

I noticed how he said _blood_ related. I raised my eyebrows.

"Me and Bella are married," he explained my silent question, "and so are Rose and Emmett and Alice and Jasper."

I nodded, understandingly.

Chelle was deep in conversation with Alice, and I wanted to ask Bella something, but she was talking in urgent whispers with the blonde one, Rosalie, and by the looks of it, that conversation wasn't going very well. I turned to Edward, instead.

"Bella said she had _wanted_ this… I don't get it…"

Edward looked pained, but he wasn't the one to answer. As soon as the words left my mouth, I noticed Rosalie stiffen.

"Yes… Bella _chose_ to be immortal." She gave a forced smile, her tone icy.

I frowned. Bella looked upset about something. Edward was looking reprovingly at Rosalie. Then it all clicked in place.

"You… you _asked_ to become a vampire?" I asked, horrified.

She nodded slowly.

"But… but… _why_?" I couldn't understand. A normal person… why on earth would they want to become one of us…?

She looked at Edward before she started

"I… I had to make a… choice…" she whispered "between two kinds of deaths. I chose the least painful one for me."

I must have looked confused, because she said

"I had a… choice. Or I could become a vampire… or… I could go on… live a normal" her voice cracked "life… without my soul… without my air, without my sky… without Edward… I wasn't going to last for long. And, I knew that, once I was gone, he'd also go… so I chose the best for the two of us… although Rosalie thinks I should have sticked with the second option. "She grimaced.

I then, understood what the two of them had been arguing. I then understood why Rosalie's voice had seemed so cold and controlled when she had told me of Bella's decision. It was all clear to me now. All but one thing.

"But surely… did Edward _want_ you to be a vampire?"

"No," she smiled, "but we made a bargain."

I frowned, confused with her answer. She went on

"I wanted it to be Edward to change me, but he wouldn't hear of it. Carlisle had already promised to do it after graduation, but I wanted it to be Edward the one. I knew it was going to be hard, but I still had hopes." Edward frowned at her choice of words."Then, one fine day, Edward did a bargain: he'd change me at that moment. All I had to do was marry him." She sighed and went on, "he'd hit the point. He didn't want me to be changed so soon. And with that bargain, he was offering me what I wanted the most. But the price was high. Not that I didn't _want_ to marry him, don't get me wrong. It's just that my parents are separated parents. They married too soon. When they were too young, just out of college. I knew there would be no way my mother would allow me to get married that early…"

She sighed and a smile lighted her features.

"I ended giving in and accepting to marry him, after a few months. One week after honeymoon, Edward changed me."

I took some time to absorb her story. It made sense, so I nodded my comprehension.

Bella then, turned to talk to Jasper and Chelle, and I was left to my thoughts. I had never encountered a vampire who had _chosen_ this lifestyle before. I never thought I would encounter another "vegetarian" vampire and, however, I had met Chelle. And now these six. We had so much in common, and yet, so many differences.

I heard Alice call my name and turned to talk to her.


	2. Werewolves

BLUE MOON

CHAPTER TWO – Werewolves

I was talking with Alice, when suddenly, her face went blank, and I could see she wasn't paying attention. It was as if she were sleeping, her eyes lost focus. Then, her expression went back to normal and she continued our conversation normally. I saw Edward's gaze lock with Alice's. His expression was blank, but something in Bella's face told me he wasn't at all happy. Bella was looking intently at him. He growled

-Filthy _dog_

I saw the changes in Bella's face as she took in what he had said. It passed from curious to surprised, from there to fear, until it finally settled in anger. Her hands were balled up in fists on the table; her whole body was shaking in rage. I looked at her, surprised.

I looked around at the others and what I saw surprised me even more. Edward had a similar expression to Bella's on his face; his blank expression long gone. Alice's face was filled with disapproval, Emmett was smiling widely at Edward, Jasper seemed tense and Rosalie was completely unbothered. Alice shot her a dirty look. Chelle seemed just as confused as I was.

I noticed how everyone was looking at Alice. I followed their gaze and listened in

-…they just decided it, Edward… they'll be here by sunset

-_They?!_ – Bella shrieked – Oh, I should have known he was too much of a coward to come

alone… he _would_ need his guards… - she continued muttering under her breath. She huffed angrily.

Edward smirked approvingly at her words.

-He wants to talk to you, Bella… alone – Alice whispered

Bella's eyes straightened in to slits

-He'll have to keep on waiting then – she murmured

Edward looked extremely pleased with that

-The entire pack? – Emmett asked, his eyes glowing in hope

-No. Only him and two others.

Emmett's face fell a little

-Quil and Embry? – Bella guessed

-Yes.

-A… pack…? – I stuttered

All eyes turned to me.

-Three werewolves – Alice told me

I tensed and heard Chelle gasp next to me

-They shouldn't cause any trouble… - Edward reassured me

-That's not true, Edward. You broke the treaty. – Bella reminded him softly – and Jake always wanted any reason to fight with you… well, now he's got a good one…

-True.

-…but he won't be fighting with you.

-What? How do you mean he won't be fighting with me?

-He'll fight with _me_ – she said simply

Edward snorted

– Bella, I truly doubt he'll lift a finger against you.

-Even better. I must say there won't be much fun if he doesn't fight back, but it will make things _much_ simpler for me

-You will _not _fight him, Isabella.

-Neither will you.

-Stop me – he challenged

-Edward. You keep forgetting I'm not human anymore. You keep forgetting that now I _can_ stop you. And I _will _if necessary.

He scowled.

-And don't start that, - she warned him – I will not have the two of you fighting over me like I'm a prize or something. Like two immature schoolboys. When the subject was Jake, you always showed _much_ more maturity than him. I expect you to keep that up. You two should know better than even try to do such a thing as to fight over me. I'm _your_ wife, not his, Edward. And, in case it hasn't sunk in yet, I'm a _vampire_ now. Not human. So, even if I_ wanted_ to stay with him, something I can assure I _don't_ want, I wouldn't be able to do so. – She then turned to me – would you like to be there too, Mandy?

-I… - I shot a glance at Chelle. Her eyes were bright with curiosity – Yes… if it's okay…

-It's fine. – She smiled at me – And how about you, Chelle?

-Yes! Can we?

Bella looked at Alice.

-Yes. But you two must promise to behave yourselves. We know it'll be harder than being around humans. The very_ smell_ of the werewolf makes you want to kill them. Only Bella can get along reasonably well with them, and that's only because of how strong she is concerning the humans.

I nodded my understanding to Alice.

-Good. How do you come to school?

-We come running – I replied, confused with the question

-Good – she smiled – meet us by our car, at the end of school

-Which is your car? – Of course I should have known then… I guess a part of me knew it already

-You'll be going with me and Edward, so you have to look out for a silver shiny Volvo – Bella told us two between giggles.

Alice rolled her eyes at Bella.

-Sorry – she mumbled, sobering up. – That's just how I saw the car… before… - she left her phrase unfinished, lost in thoughts that made her giggle every now and then.

I looked astonished at them. I had seen that car this morning. Me and Chelle had been wondering who its owner was. But that car had nearly lost its significance next to the red BMW convertible that was parked next to the Volvo. I didn't need to think very hard now, to know that the Cullens were the owners of both cars.

Me and Chelle were rich… but not that rich… because every time there was some competition worth a lot of money for throwing things around, or races, we'd always win. So we were better off than anyone else in the school… till now. Not that we ever bothered much about money… money was just a helpful thing to have. Both of us lived in huge properties, where we grew chickens and cows. The chickens were just for pretending. The _cows_, however… that way, we hardly ever had to leave town for hunting. And cows were animals that wouldn't raise suspicions, so we could invite friends over without worries. Or we could… till Larry and Ruff became vampires. It had been five years since I'd called someone over to my house…

-Alice… will they come to the school? – Edward asked, worried

-No. They're heading for our house

Just then, the bell rang and we all got up to go to our classes. Edward, however, remained sitting. Bella looked at him, curious.

-I don't think. – He said slowly – I'll go to biology today…might be healthier to skip some classes sometimes.

-We have biology now too, Edward – Chelle told him, pointing at me and her.

-Then I suggest the two of you stay too

-Why? – Chelle asked, confused

-Because…

-Blood type day – Bella groaned and seemed unsure

Edward only nodded

-Oh! Well, I guess I'll stay then… - I grinned at Bella. Next to me, Chelle nodded

Edward smiled at Bella

– It's your decision, love. You know how strong you are.

She nodded, thoughtful.

– I'll stay – she said, finally.

He gave her a huge smile. She smiled back and both of them got up and walked out. I looked at Chelle and she nodded lightly. We followed the two at some distance.

The couple headed towards the Volvo. They got in and left the two back doors open for us. The rest of the Cullens were at their classes. They didn't have biology. When we entered the car, the two were talking softly.

-…you know that, Bella.

-Yes. And you know my choice, Edward. I did my choice back then and it hasn't changed one little bit.

-But you can still change your mind, Bella…

-No, Edward, I can't

-Bella… I know it would be hard… for both of you, but if he really loves you, he'll manage

-I'm not referring to the fact that I'm a vampire and he's a werewolf, Edward. I'm referring myself to the simple fact you seem to have forgotten.

-And what would that be?

-That without you, Edward, _my life has no meaning._

-But you love him, Bella…

-But I chose you

-Because he was stupid

-No, because I love you.

-You love him, too – he reminded her

-_Dammit_! Edward, why are you so oblivious to the fact that I love you more than I love him? I can live without him. I can't live without you.

-Nonsense, Bella

-_Nonsense_?! Do you have any _freaking idea_ of what I'd do if I got separated from you again? When I was human, I held on for Charlie. Now, Charlie already thinks I'm dead. I'd go s_traight_ to Italy, Edward. And I wouldn't wait till noon to do something stupid either. I'd do it as fast as I could!

Her words made his face pained.

– I'm not a good example for you to follow, Bella – he grimaced

-I don't care – her voice was soft now – Edward, without you, I just can't survive. Is that so hard to understand?

-It just seems too good

-To me, too. – She smiled

I left my last class anxious. I had hardly paid attention to any of my classes after lunch. I only had one class with Bella and Edward. I also had one with Alice. Me and Chelle had exactly the same schedules.

I practically grabbed Chelle's hand and dragged her out of History. We ran – trying not to run too fast, so as not to raise suspicions – towards the parking lot. I saw the BMW convertible maneuvering out of its spot. It was full. We got to the Volvo and, as soon as the doors were shut, Edward stood on the gas and we sped out of the school.

We sped for about fifteen minutes. I was sure he was driving faster than me. I liked speed, but Edward drove crazily, even to my eyes. And I scared the _hell _out of Chelle when I was driving. Their house was in the countryside, just like mine. Just like Chelle's too. I usually took half an hour to get home with a car. He took fifteen.

As Edward maneuvered in to the garage next to the red BMW convertible, I caught a smell. It was a horrid stink. My hands flexed themselves.

-Yes. They have a strong scent, don't they? – Bella commented lightly

-Is this smell… them?

-Yes, – she replied grimly

She turned to face the forest on the right side of the house.

-How far, Edward?

-Five minutes away, and running.

-How are they?

What a strange question to ask, I thought. Edward, however, seemed to have understood it.

He smiled

-Transformed

Bella tensed and nodded grimly, her eyes darkening. She walked slowly forward, towards the forest, Edward, me and Chelle followed.

As we reached the fringe of the trees, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice came from the house, followed by two other vampires. One man and one woman.

-Mandy, Chelle… these are our parents: Carlisle and Esme Cullen – Alice presented us

-Hello Mandy. Hello Chelle – Esme greeted us. Carlisle smiled at us two.

-Hi Mrs. and Mr. Cullen – the two of us said politely

Then the ten of us turned to look at the forest again. I saw Bella straighten herself. The rest of us backed two steps, keeping behind her. Her eyes never left the forest.

Suddenly, something huge stepped out from the shadows of the forest. As my eyes fell on him, I felt an urge to pounce forward and fight the creature down. I wanted to kill it. And I wanted to do so now. And badly. I remembered my promise to Alice, however and restrained myself.

Bella's face was calm, but her posture was tense. But not with the same tension I felt.

From behind the first, two other wolves appeared. The first one was the biggest one and seemed to be their leader. Its fur was of a red-brown color and shaggier than the other two. As I watched, fighting my instincts, I saw the first wolf, the red-brown colored one, transform and disappear right in front of my eyes. In its place, stood a tall, muscular man. He was wearing only pants, leaving his broad, strong chest bare. He must have been in his twenties. The two other wolves followed their leader's example. They too, were big and muscular men.

-Jacob, – Bella greeted curtly – Quil, Embry.

-Bella! – The first man's face split in to a smile. Bella's eyes narrowed slightly.

-Edward. – He greeted with less enthusiasm

-Hello Jacob – Edward's reply was educated, but with a thick edge to it – Would you mind telling us why you gave yourselves the trouble to come all the way from Forks to here?

-I… I wanted to talk to Bella – the one called Jacob muttered

Edward said something darkly. I didn't hear what it was, but it sounded pretty offensive to me.

-Speak along, Jake – Bella answered

-Actually… I was thinking… alone, maybe? – He seemed hopeful

-They are my family, Jake. Anything you need to tell me, they _can_ and _must_ know

-Please, Bella?

-Cut it out, Jacob.

-Bella… why don't you talk to him? We'll be in the house if you need us – Edward told her

She looked panicked, but then her face calmed.

-Okay.

The Cullens, followed by me and Chelle, retreated back to the house. It was huge. We all sat down on the sofas in the living-room and waited.

-Jake, what do you want? – Bella asked as soon as everyone was out of sight

-I wanted to talk to you… about something

-I figured. What is it?

-I well… I just wanted you to know… that my feelings for you haven't changed. At all.

-Well. That's too bad, isn't it?

His eyes narrowed.

-Are you telling me you don't love me anymore, Bella? – He growled

-Did you hear me say that?

-No…

-Well then.

-But you meant it

-Did I, Jake? Did I _really?_ Or did I just mean that my feelings towards you and towards _Edward_ haven't changed at all either?

He stopped walking. She stopped too.

-Do you mean to say… that you actually _like_ being a bloodsucker? – He sounded incredulous; doubtful, even. Of his own words. How _pathetic_. Bella seemed to agree, because she rolled her eyes at him, impatient.

-No. I'm telling you I like being a vampire who's a member of the Cullen family – she retorted

-All comes down to the same in the end – he muttered

-Actually, I think you'll find it doesn't

-Well then… I guess you like being locked up in the house for the entire day. Not leaving at all…

-What the hell are you talking about, Jacob?

-You can't be allowed to get close to humans yet.

-You think – she scoffed

His eyes widened in shock

-But I thought this took time…

-And it does. It usually does. I'm a happy exception to that rule

He was too shocked to answer

-Are you done now, Jacob?

-Not even close – he grumbled

She saw it in his eyes. Just like that time in La Push. But this time, she was ready for it. As soon as his face was in good distance from hers, she shot her arm forward, hitting him straight on his jaw.

There was a crunching sound.

Jacob let out a howl of pain, and immediately took his hand off Bella and put it to his chin. Bella smiled, pleased with herself.

-_That _was for the last time. And for this one too, - she added, pleased

Half a second had gone by and Edward was there, followed closely by the rest of us. He took in the scene slowly.

This was what we all saw: Jacob holding his chin and whimpering in a low tone, while Bella stood to one side, smiling softly.

Edward raised an eyebrow at her, then directed himself to Jacob

-I thought I'd told you not to kiss her unless she asked you to do so, dog.

Jacob scowled

-I didn't even get _close_ to kissing her, leech

-I keep my words. – He went on as if Jacob hadn't spoken, making the other growl – And more. I promised that if you ever kissed her forcefully again, I'd break your chin for her. Since that is no longer needed, seeing as she has taken care of that herself, I'll keep my other promise: have you running with three legs. – He smiled

Bella rolled her eyes at him.

-Edward… none of that.

-No, Bella. Let him try – Jacob sneered

-Don't you _dare_ to direct yourself at me, _mongrel!_ – She hissed, furious

Her words hit home. He looked at her, his face contorted in pain. He looked taken aback by her reaction.

-Aw Bells. Don't be mad at me

-I think she told you not to speak to her, dog

Bella's eyes narrowed menacingly at Jacob.

-You know what, Edward?

-What, love? – Edward turned his gaze to her

-_He's yours_ – she hissed through her teeth

Edward looked like he was about to explode with joy.

-Are you sure, honey?

-_Absolutely_ – she smiled – See you in the house. Have fun! – She then, promptly turned her back on Edward and Jacob and stomped her way towards the house. The rest of us followed. Emmett kept looking back, with a jealous look on his face.

Once in the house, Bella took me and Chelle on a tour of the house. It was absolutely huge. It had three floors. Once that was done, she took us back down to the living-room and went back upstairs to change from the school uniform.

Yelps could be heard from the forest.

A few minutes after Bella came down again, Edward came in the door, looking pleased. Bella flung her arms around him and he whispered something to her. She tensed

-Why, Edward? Now he'll come back with the entire pack for revenge!

Emmett's eyes seemed to shine at that.

-Don't worry, love. He won't. I kept well my promise. – He smirked

-You broke his leg? – She asked, amused

-Yep – he said, studying her face to see if he wasn't supposed to have inflicted any harm. Her face wasn't showing anything but pure amusement and fun. Her lips looked as if they were twitching; giving the impression we were losing a personal little joke.

-By the sounds coming from there, you couldn't tell it was _only_ a leg – she rolled her eyes dramatically.

He laughed soundly at her words.

-He's such a cry baby – He said, still laughing.

Emmett's booming laugh joined Edward's.

-Tell me about it. And also a _very_ bad loser – She grimaced – now… Mandy, Chelle… - she said,

turning to us – do you want us to take you home or…?

-There's no need, Bella – I smiled

-Yeah. We live very close by. We can run – Chelle smiled

-Oh… Okay, then.

-See you guys tomorrow! – I waved from the door already

-See ya! – Chelle agreed, as she headed to the door.

-Bye, Mandy! Bye, Chelle!

We waved once, then turned and ran all the way home.

**A.N.: Okay! Chapter two! I'll admit that, not being a Jacob fan myself, I was kind of avid for a scene in which Jake got what he deserved ;P.**

**Chocoholic4eva: Girl, you rock! Thanks so much for reviewing here too! I'm glad you liked it ;). This goes a completely different way from Hurricane, since it was written before Breaking Dawn came out…**


	3. Fitting In

BLUE MOON

CHAPTER THREE – Fitting In

The next day dawned clouded. Just perfect. Bright, but with no sun. I smiled ruefully to myself as I changed. Today was gonna be amazing.

As I got to the end of my drive, I saw Chelle already there. She smiled at me

"Hey Mandy," she said waving

"Hi Chelle. How are you?"

"Just fine." She smiled at the sky

"Good. And how about Larry?"

Her face fell a bit

"He's getting better," she mumbled "but it's taking some time."

"He just needs to adjust. You really should put up an electric fence around your property, like I did, Chelle. This wouldn't have happened if you had."

"I know, I know," she moaned "but it just seems so… well, so _pointless_, Mandy…" she shrugged, bothered "it makes me feel as if I can't protect us…"

I smiled at her. Recently, a thief had tried to rob Chelle's house. The only _slight_ problem was Chelle's boyfriend, Larry.

Larry was very committed to trying to keep his diet. His numbers were extremely low, and that made him proud of himself. However, the day the thief had entered Chelle's house, Larry was thirsty…

He had been waiting for Chelle to come back from school so they could choose a cow for themselves. When he saw the thief, Larry lost control.

When Chelle got home, she had found Larry in a corner, mourning. Ever since that day, Larry had had more need to hunt, and with more frequency. That bothered Chelle, for she was constantly having to accompany him to some exotic place so he could hunt.

"He now wants to go to Japan." She sighed

"When are you leaving?" I asked

"I'm not going," she rolled her eyes "I'm tired of being towed all over the world so he can hunt a different animal each time," she huffed

"He'll get over it, Chelle."

"I sure hope so, Mandy… or I'll go insane!"

I smiled ruefully. We were running as we talked. In less than fifteen minutes, we were in the school boundaries. I was gonna miss this school. Two more years and we'd have to move… _again_. I sighed. Maybe we could go with the Cullens this time…

"Hey, Mandy! Hey, Chelle!" I heard two voices shout over to us from the cafeteria. I turned and saw Bella and Alice waving enthusiastically at us. Edward and Jasper stood a few feet behind, with obviously ashamed expressions. I stiffled a giggle and waved back, making my way toward them.

"Hello there, Alice, Bella, Edward and Jasper," I said, as soon as shouting was no longer necessary.

The six of us walked to our classes together, talking.

As I took my usual place in English, I remembered that my partner here wasn't Chelle… My stomach twisted. Doing it during a lesson wasn't gonna be at all simple. I shot a desperate look at Chelle. She just smiled apologetically and took her seat next to Ginny. I sighed and turned to face Sarah.

Sarah was my second best friend, Chelle being the first, obviously. The only problem was Sarah was _human. _Of course, that didn't mean much to me. But now, with the Cullens around, I had a feeling that Sarah and I would be seeing less and less of each other. But that wasn't the worse. Not yet. The worse was… Sarah _knew_. She knew I wasn't human. She just didn't know _what_ I was. But last week, I had promised I'd tell Sarah. She had been extremely annoying for over one year. Finally, I gave in. Just when the Cullens had arrived. I repressed a sigh.

Chelle knew of my decision and even agreed with it. But would I have the guts to say…?

A piece of paper was shoved at me from Sarah. I braced myself, took a deep breath and read it.

So… are you gonna tell me or what?

I sighed and replied in the following way:

Please, please, please don't freak out, okay? I swear I mean you no harm at all.

Will you just spit it out?

Right. So… erm… I'm a vampire.

I shoved it back at her and waited, holding my breath, for her horror-struck expression, for her to jump to her feet and leave the room screaming.

Her reaction, however, took me _completely_ by surprise.

A wide smile started to spread across her face. She eagerly grabbed the paper and started scribbling furiously on it.

Cool! How come you haven't jumped on me yet?

Just kidding…

But, seriously… how do you do it? Manage to stay this close, I mean… it must be hard.

Is Chelle also a vampire?

And what about that new family that just arrived? Are they vampires too?

GOD, this is so COOL!

I stared at her, sure she was mad. Her eyes were shinning. Not one flicker of fear as she looked at me expectantly. I shook my head and started answering her questions

Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, miss.

Yes. It's hard. But bearable. We say we're "vegetarian", our personal little joke. It helps if we want to talk about it with people around us. We only feed on animals. That's why I have so many cows at home…

Yes, Chelle and the Cullens are also vampires.

Listen… I would really appreciate if you could keep this to yourself, Sarah. You're not supposed to know this, remember.

Of course, silly. I'm not stupid. If I told anyone, they'd think I was loony… don't worry, your secret is safe with me.

So THAT'S what the cows are for, huh? Sweet!

Tell me something… are all the vampires so good-looking?

Thanks, Sarah. You rock.

I guess so. Not for us, though. I mean… there are some exceptions, of course, like for you humans… we each have our own tastes. But I imagine that for humans, all the vampires are good-looking, yes.

Why?

Cool!

Oh… Just curious…

Okay. So, before you ask, Edward is married. So are Jasper and Emmett.

Damn it!

Lucky vampires!

I laughed at that. Chelle looked over at me, curious. I saw her eyes flash towards Sarah, then back to me. I nodded lightly at her. Her face broke into a relaxed grin.

I grinned back.

Say, Mandy…

Yeah?

Could you present me to the Cullens today? Please?

Sarah… they're all married.

I know, I know… but still…

No, no, no… just for the sake of it. I can see you'll be spending a lot of time with them now, so I just wanna know them. (Because y'know… you're my confident… if you're hanging out with them, and I don't know them, how will we still be able to be friends still…? And don't start with the nonsense of 'I'm too dangerous for your own good. Keep away.' The life is mine. If I wanna risk it, let me risk it. And, anyway, we've been studying together for over a year now and you've NEVER tried anything on me, so really, I have absolutely NO REASON to be afraid of you. This, of course, explains why I really am not. Afraid of you, I mean.)

I swear.

Oh. Sure, I guess.

Doesn't the idea of being presented to six vampires frighten you in the least?

THANKS!

And… Nope. Not at all.

I'm guessing they're also "vegetarian", right? Just to make sure…

Yeah, yeah. You've got nothing to fear. Especially from Bella. That girl is amazing! She's so young, but yet so much more in control of herself!

Our little conversation probably would've gone on, if it hadn't been the teacher coming to check what was making Sarah so flustered. I snatched the paper back securely and showed the teacher my notes. I could see he was puzzled. I smirked.

It was helpful, studying the same thing over and over again. I never had to take notes. I just had to know what we were studying that day. Sarah looked at me with envious eyes.

When the bell for lunch rang, I got up slowly and waited for Chelle to disentangle herself from Ginny. It took too long. Sarah was ready and standing next to me, a half smile on her lips. I pursued my lips and waited. As soon as Chelle was free, we shot out of the class, with Sarah following behind us. I was starting to get annoyed. I was scared of the Cullens' reaction when they knew what I had done. I hoped they wouldn't tell the Volturi. I shuddered at the thought.

Edward looked at me, curious. No wonder, I thought. Come to the table thinking on the Volturi… I shook my head and sat down. Sarah sat between me and Chelle.

"Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper… where are Rose and Emmett?" Chelle asked as she took her seat facing Alice

"They are… hiking," Bella answered, looking sideways to Sarah

Chelle and I nodded. Hunting.

"Well… erm… I hope you guys don't get too pissed with me…"

"Is that why you're thinking about the Volturi?" Edward asked "Because you think we'll hand you into them?"

I nodded, sheepish.

"What did you do?" Bella asked, curious.

I looked quickly at Sarah, sitting next to me. Edward's face lightened with understanding.

"We won't turn you in," he smiled

"Really? And you're not angry?"

"No," he shrugged "the choice was hers, after all," he smiled for a moment. "Her thoughts remind me of how Bella used to be… so…_ sure_… not at all afraid…"

"_Afraid?_" Bella scoffed "Oh, c'mon, Edward! How could I even_ try_ being scared of you? I can't fear the person I love!"

His eyes narrowed at that.

"And don't you start that, Edward Cullen! You know perfectly well what I meant!"

He laughed.

"Okay, okay…"

She rolled her eyes and then turned to Sarah, who was gawking at the two.

"Are you okay…?" Bella asked her. She looked at Edward, unsure on how to continue

"Sarah," Edward whispered to her

"Are you okay, Sarah?" She asked, gently

"Huh? Oh! I'm… fine, thanks!"

Bella frowned.

"You seem a bit… strange…"

"I was wondering… how can one become a vampire?" Sarah asked

Everyone at the table seemed to flinch at that. Everyone but Alice, who continued as impassive as before. Sarah seemed to notice it wasn't something exactly nice. Edward and Alice exchanged a worried look.

"Why do you want to know, Sarah?" Alice asked lightly

"Just… curious," she shrugged

"A vampire has to bite you," Bella explained, holding her right palm up, to show Sarah a mark on it "Bite, but not kill." She said firmly, looking at Edward as she said it.

Sarah gasped, looking at Bella's hand.

"Was that how…?" She whispered in awe

"No." She smiled "this was an accident. The one that changed me is elsewhere," her smile grew wider. Beside her, Edward smiled too

I decided I didn't want to know where that bite was. Sarah seemed to agree with me there.

"Accident?"

"Yes. When I was human, I had a _very _bad luck." Alice laughed at that. Surely remembering things "Edward used to say that, if there was _anything _slightly dangerous in a distance of one thousand meters, it'd somehow, end up coming to_ me_," she sighed "in one of these dangerous things, there was a vampire, called James. He was a tracker. He particularly liked my scent. Not as much as Edward did, but still… _enough_. He set off after me and, after some time, managed to trick me into going to him. To cut a long story short, his idea was to kill me, but he only managed to bite me, when Edward arrived. Edward then, had to suck the venom _out_ of me."

Sarah's eyes were wide. I looked at her, wondering what her reaction would be. This story was new to me, too. Interesting story, I thought. So, they too had met James… and, probably Victoria and Laurent, too. I shuddered

The three had come by where me and Chelle were living in the country side once, a few years ago. We had been extremely happy when they had gone. I wondered now, what had happened to them…

"What happened to James? And Laurent and Victoria?" Chelle asked, vocalizing my thoughts.

As soon as she said Victoria's name, I saw Bella stiffen. Edward's jaw tensed.

"All killed," Alice answered. "James and Victoria by Edward. Laurent by Jacob's pack."

"The pack from last night?" I asked, shocked. They hadn't seemed all that friendly towards the Cullens.

"Yes," Bella replied coolly.

I recoiled.

"Did you know them? Laurent, James and Victoria, I mean," Alice asked

"Yes," I whispered "they passed by where me and Chelle were living, a few years ago. We were in the country side at that time," I explained.

Alice nodded her understanding

"Would you mind telling us the story of the pack?" Chelle inquired politely.

Alice looked at Bella. The lattest nodded and turned to us

"Okay. This is a very long story," she sighed heavily.

"Then I think it'll have to be left for later," Edward commented "unless we want to ditch Biology again today."

At that, we all moaned and got up, exceedingly slow for a bunch of eight vampires and just one human. All the way to class, Sarah would ask us some questions. I saw Bella looking at her curiously at her when Sarah wasn't looking. I wondered what Bella was thinking. Once, when Sarah asked a question about the sun, and how we could go out during the day, I could have sworn I saw her lips spread into a full-faced grin. In a second it was gone, though.

Edward, however, didn't manage to hide his amusement so well.

When Sarah had asked that same question that had Bella smiling widely, I saw the obvious humor pass in his eyes. He wasn't hiding it. When the next question was about sleeping in coffins, he couldn't hold himself and laughed all the way to class.

Sarah went bright red at his reaction and only recovered when Bella – with a smile on her own lips – explained that she had asked him exactly the same questions, and in exactly the same order before.

That made us all laugh. We entered our separate classes still smiling broadly.

**A.N.: Riiiight! Thanks to all the reviewers! You make my day with your kind words ;)**

**BriaBeth:**** Thanks! =D. Here's your update… hope you like it ;D**

**Wishaway2014:**** Thanks so much! :$**

**Chocoholic4eva:**** Yeah… just a bit… I kind of imagined Bella would be in control ;). And sorry about the speech stuff… it's the brazilian way, but I'm changing it in all the chapters, okay? I hope it helps ********.**

**Next chapter next weekend, I hope! xD**

**Peace,**

**Mandy**


	4. Tales

**BLUE MOON**

**CHAPTER FOUR –Tales**

**A.N.: I only own Mandy, Chelle, Ruff, Sarah and Larry. All the rest belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer.**

**Enjoy!**

*******

Bella?

Yes, Mandy?

Do you mind telling – or better, writing – me the story now? Chelle will read it with me.

Oh… Sure!

By the way, I like your writing. It's cute.

So, anyway… My dad, Charlie, is the police chief of a little city in the Olympic peninsula, called Forks. Forks is this tiny, humid and kind of depressing place. Very green. A bit too green, really. So, once my mom married again – she got married to Phil. Phil is a football player, so he has to move a lot from one place to another –, I moved over to live with my dad.

My dad had these old friends, nearly family, really. The Blacks. The Blacks are from a native tribe of that area. They live down in La Push. I got to meet Jacob, Billy Black's son – Billy is Charlie's friend.

When Edward left me, - long story, another day I'll explain - Jacob kind of became my personal sun, he made me happier, made me kind of forget the whole that was where Edward had been beforehand. He helped me through my darkest time of life. Only, friendship doesn't seem to always be enough for Jake… so Edward came back, and, just before he came back, I found out Jake was a werewolf.

Of course, I knew vampires and werewolves didn't get along at all well. But still, I tried to keep both my friend and my love. (One guess to if it worked…)

Jake started getting a bit too overboard. He managed to make me see I loved him – by kissing my forcefully, which was very stupid of him, because all he managed with that, was to gain even more animosity from Edward, and make me get extremely pissed off at him for being so damn tactless.

Whatever.

Not that that changed anything. I couldn't – and still can't – live without Edward in my life. So, in the end, I had to break both his and my heart and leave Forks so Edward could change me.

But Jake doesn't give up that easily. I should've known he'd appear sometime soon… I just didn't want him to come. It only makes things worse. For both of us. Again.

He just doesn't learn with his mistakes… shame, really. I used to like being his friend. But he became so damn stubborn and stupid. What with all that kissing and etc, I kind of… well, I'm not exactly very thrilled by seeing him again. Sure, it's good to know he's okay and all that, but… he's not that same Jacob I knew. The Jacob that was my own personal little sun. He changed way too much. For the worse.

Sometimes, I'd look at him and I could barely recognize my friend under the hard mask and muscular man he became… I really wish he hadn't come at all.

Well, that's my story. What do you two think of it? A bit too soap opera, huh?

Wow. That's one story…!

Your writing is neater, though. Prettier, too.

Aw, thanks!

My writing didn't use to be this neat. I actually like it now. It used to be horrific before… being a vampire has many pros!

Hahaha, I'm glad you think so. Now I guess we should stop. The teacher is wandering what we're doing. I guess I'm smiling too much. Dammit!

Stupid school…

I laughed.

Even though that was the end of the conversation, I could feel we were somehow closer now. I passed Chelle the paper, so she could read, too.

Her writing is gorgeous! I wish mine were like that!

And that story is very interesting… I wonder if it's true. Edward doesn't seem capable of leaving her…

Yeah. I also wish mine were like that, Chelle. Who doesn't, really?

And yes. The story is true. I can see it in her eyes.

Wow.

Someone's perceptive today.

Oh, shut up, Chelle!

Okay, okay… calm down, hun! I was just joking!

Yeah, yeah… whatever, Chelle, whatever…

At that moment, the bell rang. I jumped. I had been so concentrated on the paper passing around. I got my things together and walked with Chelle to my next class.

The rest of the day passed with no special happenings. When the nine of us – the six Cullens, me, Chelle and Sarah – left from our different last classes, though, an unpleasant surprise awaited us. The sun. Sarah walked right out of her class – which she had been in with Alice – and crossed the sun-lit area towards where me, Chelle, Bella, Edward and the rest of the Cullens were, standing frozen in the shadow of the corridor, constricting the entire passage. Alice was stuck on the other side of the school. She was looking sadly at us, nearly apologetically. I winced and turned to Edward

"Had she seen this?"

"No," he answered through gritted teeth

"How come?" I asked, desperately

"Because we have some little guests," he growled

Bella scowled at that

"I _told_ you, Edward."

"Yes, you did, love. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"No problem, Edward…" she replied, sighing "Alice can't see the future if the werewolves step in," she told us

Sarah's eyes bulged at that. I could feel the surprise on my own face

"We don't know why that is like that," she continued "but it can be _extremely_ annoying," she muttered under her breath.

At that moment, he appeared. It was hard not see him, he was so tall. Jacob walked toward us, not taking his eyes off of Bella. Then, when he was closer, he looked at us. His eyes swept over the Cullens with disgust, then moved over to me and Chelle with interest. When he got to Sarah, he seemed to sway a bit. His eyes widened a fraction, and then he looked away.

Bella was looking intently from him to Sarah and back again. A small smile forming on her lips.

Jacob looked back at her and scowled.

Edward chuckled lightly next to Bella.

She looked up to him, as if wanting confirmation to something. He met her gaze and nodded slightly. Her smile widened.

She turned swiftly to Sarah, who looked at her warily.

I was completely lost and, judging by Chelle's face, so was she.

"Sarah, come here a moment, please." Bella motioned the girl forward, never taking her eyes off Jacob.

He stared at her angrily.

Sarah stepped forward and stood next to Bella.

"Sarah, this is Jacob, an old friend of mine." She smiled ruefully at that "Jacob, this is Sarah." her smile became more pronounced. I noticed it was nearly an evil smile.

There was definitely an edge in her voice. Sarah seemed to notice that too.

"We'll leave the two of you to talk a bit." Edward smirked.

Jacob looked at him with hatred in his face, not saying a word.

Then, with no more, Bella turned, grabbed my wrist in one hand and Chelle's in the other and towed us to the bathroom. There, she took out three cloaks from her bag. She handed each of us one and put one on herself. After that was done, we went out again and walked straight to the car, ignoring the strange looks we were receiving. I was shocked to see Jacob and Sarah talking happily and seemingly unworried. I straightened my eyes. Bella knew something that I didn't.

"Sarah, do you want a lift?" Alice asked, suddenly next to us, also wearing a cloak. Bella shot her a dirty look. Alice pretended she hadn't seen it.

"No, thanks, Alice." Sarah smiled "Jake will take me home."

Alice turned to Jacob. Bella turned to look at him too, and I was surprised to see the expression on her face. It was as if she were in pain. Jacob noticed that, too and his lips twitched, remembering something, I was sure. Edward rolled his eyes at Jacob's thoughts and murmured something. Jacob laughed and then his face was serious. He looked at Bella with wary eyes. He then looked at Edward. The lattest shrugged.

"Bella, would you mind…?"

She shot one glance to Sarah then turned and walked toward the forest. Jacob followed her. Sarah stayed behind, looking confused but somewhat, pleased. I looked at Edward questioning him silently

"Jacob has just imprinted." Edward said, a huge smile on his lips

"_Imprinted?"_

"A dog… sorry. A _wolf_ thing," he smirked "similar, but much, _much_ more powerful, than love at first sight," he explained, still smiling

I looked at Sarah. Edward noticed and nodded. I felt my mouth fall open in amazement.

"Do you want narration?" Edward asked smugly

"_Yes!_" Alice breathed

He rolled his eyes and said, in a voice that was clearly Bella's

"I'm happy for you, Jake."

"Don't be. I saw your expression, Bella."

"Jacob Black. You've just imprinted. Go and be happy!"

"Without you" he sounded doubtful through Edward's voice

"Of _course_ so, silly. I'm not the one you imprinted on, in case you haven't noticed yet."

"Are you sure of what you're saying, Bella?"

"Jake," she said softly "I chose my path five years ago. It's time you followed your own path. And in that path, there's no me. Had I chosen differently back then, things would have been different. But this is how things are **now**. You'll have to put up with it. Besides… I thought this imprinting thing was supposed to be powerful. So, even if you _wanted_, you have no choice, really, Jake."

"It _is_ powerful, Bella. But…" he hesitated "but it's not as strong to me… at least, not as strong as it was to Sam and to Embry and Quil…"

"How do you mean 'not so strong'?" She demanded "Are there _levels _in power too?"

"No, Bella. It's just…"

"Don't go on, Jake. I don't want to hear it. Go be happy with Sarah. She's a nice girl. I'm glad for her…"

"I wish you would listen to me, Bella."

"Why, Jacob? I already know what you're gonna tell me and, _honestly_, I don't wanna hear it."

There was silence then, and Bella reappeared from the forest fringe, tugging at the hood of her cloak as she walked in to the sun, making sure it covered her entire face. She walked right up to us and climbed into the car, without saying a single word.

Sarah was looking at her with a strange expression on her face. Bella seemed not to notice that, or if she did, she pretended not to. Then, Jacob stalked over to us with a grumpy expression on his face. He took Sarah by her hand and towed her to his red car. In a few minutes, they were gone.

I glanced warily at Bella and climbed into the back seat of the Volvo, with Chelle right behind me.

"Did you_ really_ have to tell them everything, Edward? Sarah is probably scared stiff now," she sighed

"She'll get over it," he said confidently "she thought you and Jacob… well, I had to change that thought of hers," he said, chuckling.

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed as smiled spread across her features.

"At least he'll stop bugging me," she commented happy

"Thank God." Was all he answered "where do I turn, Mandy?"

"Right here," I said, indicating.

I was gonna present them to Ruff, my boyfriend. Tomorrow was Larry's turn.

He turned in on the drive and the red car followed swiftly behind. Beyond the red car, far behind, I thought I caught a glimpse of another car… red too… no, I had imagined it. We got out of the car and I walked up to the front door. The others followed behind me.

"Ruff?" I called "I brought some people here for you to meet, Ruff."

He was beside me in a second. He was really getting better at this. His control was almost perfect. Almost.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hi, Ruff," I said, kissing him gently. I felt the others' look around, giving us some privacy. Ruff looked warily at the people behind me. I laughed lightly at his worried expression.

"C'mon in, guys. I know it's not as big as your house, but it's livable." I smiled and walked into the kitchen "would you guys like something to drink?"

I heard some giggling in response and took that as an obvious no. I wondered back to the living-room. They were still standing.

"Have a seat." I offered "this will take some time to get through with"

Ruff was looking amused at the Cullens as they all sat down on the couches.

"Ruff, these are my newest friends at school. Alice, Bella, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward and Emmett. And of course, you already know Chelle." I smiled "Guys, this is Ruff, my boyfriend."

As I had said their names, each one of them had given some indication to show him who was who. I continued.

"You know, Ruff… Bella is also five?"

"Really?" He asked, looking at Bella curiously

"Yup," she said proudly

"And… you're going to school too?"

She nodded. His eyes grew wide in shock. I laughed

"I have an extra facility control wise," she explained to him "I really could be like any normal person, like any human… I don't mind proximity."

This made his mouth open even wider and he managed to choke out

"How… how do you _do_ that?"

She shrugged nonchalantly

"I just do. No idea how. The smell doesn't bother me much. At the beginning, I was wilder than average. Once my one year was over, though, it got _much_ easier."

And so the conversation ran effortlessly. Ruff was truly elated to be able to talk to other people again. I knew he had missed that a lot. I smiled happily as I thought of when I had found Ruff. Chelle, of course, had been with me. She had also found Larry then.

_I was wondering aimlessly through a dark alley. Of all the retched places, why did Chelle have to choose this place in particular for us to meet?, I thought, grumbling to myself. I rounded a corner and found her there. I walked calmly toward her. My possibility to do many things, and not only one, like Chelle, was so good. Although I could only do things related to the others' heads. Like know the others' vampires powers, make someone forget something, make them 'remember' something they never saw… read someone's thoughts… although I hardly ever used the last one. I didn't feel comfortable…_

_I walked up to where Chelle was kneeling down, a frown on my face. Chelle was crouched over another vampire. She gestured toward her left. I looked over and saw yet another vampire. I crouched down and examined him. None of them had any special powers. I whispered that to Chelle. She looked at me and nodded briefly. I turned back to the vampire in front of me. It was obviously new. I'd say just passed those three critical days. His eyes opened and focused on me. His irises were bright red, confirming my theory. Brand new. I sighed heavily._

"_What are we gonna do with them, Mandy?" Chelle asked, sounding pleading. I knew what she wanted to do._

"_If we leave them here, we'll have to respond to the Volturi later… I don't think we have much of a choice, Chelle…"_

_She nodded grimly. No one wanted a visit from the Volturi._

"_True."_

"_C'mon." I looked back to the one in front of me "What's your name?"_

"_Ruff."_

"_Very well, Ruff. We'll look after you now, okay?"_

_He nodded slowly._

"_What happened to Larry, though?"_

_I looked over to Chelle. She nodded._

"_Larry is coming too." I smiled at Ruff. He was really kind of cute…_

"_Is he okay?"_

"_Yes. He's just unconscious. He'll be fine, though." Chelle assured him_

_Then, I got Ruff and Chelle got Larry in our arms, looked at each other and smiled. A strong, unnatural wind blew through the alley. A second later, a woman rounded the corner to find a deserted alley. _

*******

**A.N.: Okies… Sooo… now you know a bit more of Chelle's and Mandy's background. Liked it? ;)**

**chocoholic4eva: Yeah, I miss it too :P. My imagination failed me, though =/ *hits imagination*. Anywhoo… I thought getting Sarah (noticed how horrible my imagination is? I truly, utterly **_**suck **_**for names…*sighs*) in on it would make things a bit more… interesting ;). And, since I still had Jake on my hands… the fact of Sarah knowing came in very handy, so… **_**voillá**_**! ;)**

**Till the next chapter guys and girls, and thanks to all who take some time read ;). Leave me a review and let me know your thoughts, 'kay?**

**Peace,**

**Mandy**


	5. Family

**BLUE MOON**

**CHAPTER FIVE – Ages**

Was that too boring yesterday, Love?

Nope. It was quite interesting, really.

Bella, love. You know you're an awful liar.

Okay, okay. It was a bit boring, yeah. Don't tell the girls I've said that, though.

I won't. I promise.

Thanks. Love you.

Love you more.

I pursed my lips. Edward's writing was outrageous! It was just too _perfect_!

I huffed.

I wondered how old he was… I knew why Chelle followed me all over the place, and that bothered me a bit. Basically, I was older than her in thirty years, although, according to our driving licenses, we were both no older than eighteen. I knew she now saw me as a friend, but that was only in the last ten years. Before, I used to be her leader. No more, no less. Now, however, I was her friend. Her best friend. I preferred it like this. I had always seen Chelle as a friend, never as a subordinate.

Why wonder when I could _know_ the answer for sure?

Say, Bella

Yes, Mandy?

How old is Edward?

He was changed in 1901. Is that what you wanted to know?

1901. _Wow_.

Yeah. That's just what I wanted to know. Thanks.

Anytime.

I sighed. 1901. He was older than me. By one year. _Dammit_. I wondered…

Edward?

Alice was changed in 1907. Jasper in 1909. Rose in 1914. Emmett in 1916. Esme in 1903. Carlisle in 1887.

Oh... Right. Thanks, Edward

Pleasure.

I was third oldest in this lot. I had been changed in 1902. It was strange to know that I was older than Esme. Older than Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, _Bella_…

I shook my head as I thought of Bella. She still amused me with all her willpower. I felt truly insignificant next to her.

As I thought about that, her partner – somehow not Edward today – leaned over her to see something Bella had written in her notebook and was showing her. I looked at her curiously.

She was breathing alright. I continued to stare at her. It was damn obvious how she felt: Completely at ease.

_As if she was still human_, I thought. That thought struck home.

It was a stupid thing to even _consider_, but… what if her heart was still beating…?

_No. _

I would have known, for sure. From what I'd been told, when human, Bella used to smell _particularly_ well for us vampires. I would have caught such a scent with ease.

But then, if she really was a vampire – which I was sure she was – then how, _how_ did she manage to keep her head so clear? The girl's neck was totally exposed to Bella. It would have been easy. Boring, even. I frowned.

Bella was paying attention to what the girl was saying. That was another strange thing about Bella. The humans didn't seem to cringe away from her as much as they did from the rest of us. Not that I didn't have really good human friends… but still… Bella was new at the school. It had taken me and Chelle nearly half a year to gain some confidence around here …

She _really_ wasn't bothered by the smell… I looked at her eyes. They were extremely clear. Very light-colored topaz.

She'd gone hunting last night. I remembered her eyes being almost black yesterday… that triggered me. Where had she gone? I looked over at Edward. Black eyes.

I frowned. They hadn't gone together…? That was strange, I thought. The two of them hardly ever let go of each other at all.

It was just then that I caught a scent in the air. It was nearly imperceptible. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Werewolf smell. And it was coming from Bella. Suddenly, everything clicked.

Bella had gone hunting.

_With Jacob_.

But she hadn't told Edward. Which explained why he wasn't her partner today… she didn't want him too close, so he didn't pick up the smell. I ran to think of others things, failing terribly. I was just starting to wonder whether she had gone hunting _with_ Jacob or if it had been _Jacob_ she had hunted, when the bell rang. I sprang to my feet, frightened - I had been so lost in speculations - and then put my things in my bag glumly. I didn't have any other lessons with Bella today. I sighed sadly.

Before I noticed, it was lunch time. I took all the care I could so as not to think too much about Bella having gone hunting with Jacob. But I knew I failed as soon as I sat down next to Alice. Edward's head turned to me, a strange expression on his face.

Damn.

_Stupid thoughts!_ I thought to myself. He raised his eyebrows at me. _I don't think she wanted you to know__,_ I thought.

Edward grimaced. I sighed and decided two could play his game. I closed my eyes briefly, and then looked at him again.

_No. She didn't. Still, thanks for explaining things to me_

_Oh… erm, you're welcome, I guess… I hope she won't be mad at me…_

_She won't_

_How can you be so sure? _

His answering smile left me no doubt. I didn't have to read his mind to know it.

Our little private conversation hadn't gone unnoticed. Everybody at the table was staring at us. I blushed and turned my gaze away from Edward. Jasper seemed puzzled. I could see that he was noticing a strong wave of emotions coming from Edward and he couldn't understand the reason for such emotions. Bella seemed fearful. Something in Edward's expression must have tipped her off that he knew… she looked at me and I shrugged apologetically. She smiled, as if saying it was okay. I heaved a sigh.

_I told you_

_Yes, you did. And… do you mind…? I'm really not used to having people in my head. I don't do it whenever I can avoid it. I would appreciate if you could do the same._

_Oh. Right, sorry. How do you hear me? _

_Huh?_

_When you're not in anyone's head… can you hear the voices in the background?_

_Oh. No. I have to concentrate on the person. Then, I hear the thoughts. I guess I don't really _hear_ the thoughts… it's more like a blank page. The thoughts write themselves on that page and it appears in front of my eyes…_

_Oh. I see…_

_Do you always hear voices?_

_Yes. It's very much like being in a crowded room. Everyone's talking softly, and you're not really paying attention. But you can choose to concentrate on a voice, or just listen randomly…_

_Cool! Like a radio, then?_

_Yes. Like a radio._

He smirked at my comparison. Again, all eyes were turned to us. Jasper seemed to be extremely bothered with something. I found myself wondering exactly what feelings he was receiving from Edward.

"Would you two care to share some information with us?" Alice asked, clearly bothered

I looked unsurely toward Edward and Bella. The lattest seemed resigned. The first seemed a bit bothered. His eyes wouldn't leave his wife.

"I'm sorry, guys," I murmured "but I think I've done enough damage as is." I said, looking away from the couple. "I'll be on my way, then…"

I got up and walked gracefully over to where Sarah, Ginny and my other human friends were. Sarah looked at me suspiciously. All eyes on the table diverted to me as I sat down awkwardly and said, trying to keep my voice light

"Do you guys mind if I sit here today?"

Ginny was the one to answer

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course we don't mind."

"Well, you all seem so…" I trailed off, looking at all the puzzled faces turned to me

"We are surprised, Mandy. You and Chelle haven't sat with us ever since the Cullens appeared."

I blushed.

"Yes, well… I thought that, you know… maybe today I'd join you guys again…"

Sarah's gaze turned even more suspicious, but the rest seemed to accept my excuses and soon, the conversation was back to normal. Ginny was talking nineteen to the dozen, as was normal. But quite unnaturally, I was hardly paying attention to a word of what she was saying, my mind straying to where I wanted to be.

_Why did you leave?_ He sounded surprised

_I figured it'd be best. I really don't want Bella mad at me_

_She's not mad at you. _He assured me

_I know. But she will be if I say anything else._

_True._

_So. Did you find out?_

_Find out what?_

_If she was hunting _with_ him or if she was hunting him, of course!_

_Oh. With him. Apparently the dog wanted to talk._

I groaned and Ginny looked at me strangely. I hardly noticed.

_Again?_

_Yes. _It sounded as if he, too, was groaning.

_And she accepted? After what happened last time?_

I was truly shocked. I'd thought Bella would have known better than that…

_Yes. He wouldn't try anything. And even if he did, she can protect herself now._

_I guess so… _

_You're scaring your friends, you know?_

_Huh?_

_The girl next to you – Ginny – she thinks you're having an attack or something._

_Oh, brilliant! I better stop this now, then_

_Yes, I think so. _

He laughed_. _I scowled at him from my table. Just then, the bell rang.

I got up slowly, trying to keep pace with Ginny's talk. She lost me after just one second of talking, but I tried to pretend I understood. She seemed pleased, so I must have managed.

As I sat down in the classroom, I found myself once again, wondering about Bella's hunting trip… That was when I noticed it. I had never been so close - emotionally, _and_ physically - to any other person, only Chelle. Now, however, after just a few days since they'd arrived in the city, I was feeling strangely connected to the Cullens. As if they, too, were part of my family.

***

**A.N.: I did a little effort to bring this to you before I travel (tomorrow), so you wouldn't stay to long without anything… so here it is: chapter five. I'm sorry I'm taking so long, but, amazingly enough, there's a lot to do during the holidays. I hardly stopped home at all. I apologize, for I know this chapter can be a bit boring, but I think you needed to know a bit more about the girls' relationship, and about their personality.**

**I finally got to see the film yesterday, and I absolutely loved it. I'm going to see it again on the 23****rd****, in London. **

**Kristen and Rob were amazing, and Renee was extremely entertaining :D. I'm soooooo looking forward to watching it again! And then, in 11 months, we'll have New Moon! *yay!***

**Anyway… my special thanks to:**

**PinetailAliceCullen: I'm also not at all a fan of Jacob, but if I were to do it my way, you'd have about 20 chapters, just about how his death was cruel :P.**

**I'm sorry about that mistake *bangs head on table* I'll fix is ASAP. Thanx for pointing it out, though!**

**GaaraIsLoved: Yeah, even though I hate him, he was nice when he was human, so I had a bit of mercy and had him imprint. :P**

**No, Renesmee in this story would be virtually impossible, since Bella is already a vampire ;)**

**Chocoholic4eva: Yeah, I know I'll still have him around, it just won't be half as much, because he didn't imprint on Mandy or Chelle, and Sarah is more like a secondary character, and then, there's the plus of not having him on Bella's toe non-stop ;D**

**Anyway, if you read it, but don't review, thanks. If you read and review, even more thanks! Reviews make my day ********.**

**So, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I'll see you in chapter six, **_**Hunting with the Cullens**_**!**

**Peace,**

**Mandy**


	6. Hunting with the Cullens

**A.N.: More about delays at the end... for now, enjoy! :)**

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**

I was still thinking about my feelings toward the Cullen family at the end of the day, when Alice skipped lightly to my side. She had a huge smile across her face, making me immediately suspicious.

"Oh, quit that!," she grumbled at me, assessing my mood. "I just want to invite you, Chelle and your boyfriends to go hunting with us tomorrow."

I hesitated. I'd have to talk to Chelle…

"I've spoken with Chelle, and she said she'll go if you will."

"Oh, well… in that case… sure! Where are we going?"

She smiled happily.

"To Forks. Bella wants to see her father. And it's a good spot to hunt, because there's plenty of forest around the area."

I nodded, suddenly nervous.

"It'll be fun," she told me radiantly

"I'm sure it will," I mumbled

"What's the problem with you?," Alice demanded.

"Its just that… well… I've never left the state before, and…"

"You've_ never_ travelled?" she shrieked

"No…" I said, cautious, a bit scared by her sudden outburst.

Alice shook her head in disbelief.

"Well then, it's a good thing you're coming tomorrow. It's more than time you saw the world outside Arkansas state, Mandy!"

I laughed, as both of us climbed into the Volvo.

***

Saturdays usually meant staying around at home, just being. Reading, or something else to make the day pass. This Saturday, however, would be different. The sun was still rising when the Silver Volvo stopped by the drive, having Bella and Edward already in there. I climbed into the back seat, and Ruff followed me. We left then, and Bella started telling u about Forks.

"It's a really small town, nothing big or momentous. The forests around it put the city to shame, though," she said, laughing.

"How will we gat there?" I asked timidly. All of the Cullens had been to this city before; they'd met Bella there, and the way Bella talked about it, made it obvious that, even though it'd been 5 years since she'd been there, that was still her home.

"We're leaving the car in a secluded spot close by, in the next state, and from there, we'll go running," Edward told us. "Not really necessary, but Alice wanted a chance to drive her car a bit," he said, sounding amused. Bella laughed.

"Alice has a car? The BMW?"

Bella nodded. "All Cullens have a car. At least, most of us do. Alice's is a yellow, flashy Porsche, and she absolutely loves it; but she can't exactly drive it very much. It'd call too much attention. Rosalie owns the BMW, this is Edward's car, Emmett has a monstrous red Jeep, Carlisle a black Mercedes, and I have a red Ferrari. Oh, and Jasper has a motorbike," she added.

Ruff gasped, surprised, from his seat next to me.

"Those are… uhm… some expensive cars you have," I said, stunned

Bella laughed lightly.

"And, of course, Bella, you forgot my special occasion car," Edward told her

"Oh, yes, that's right!" She agreed. "Edward also owns an Austin Martin Vanquish, which he calls the _special occasion car_." She shrugged.

"An _Austin Martin_?" Ruff whispered, awed.

Edward turned to look at him. "You like cars?"

Ruff nodded solemnly. I sighed, and saw Bella roll her eyes at me.

I could see those two would get along well, then. Talking cars! Personally, I didn't get it. What was it with cars? They were _far_ too slow for me. Running was faster, plus it was also nicer, since you could pass through places a car would _never_ manage to pass with its bulky body armor.

When we finally got out of the car, I looked around.

We were in an open spot in the middle of a thick forest. I'd seen the trees flash past us as we came, and, when I looked back, from where we'd come, I saw the little path we'd come through. It looked like it was _way_ too narrow for a Jeep such as Bella had described, but, as if to prove me wrong, a few minutes later, it appeared. Rosalie had a bored face, while Emmett, driving, had a huge smile. I caught a glimpse of Chelle and Larry on the back seat, looking very surprised indeed.

I laughed, exultant. There was more than one reason to why I didn't like going around in cars: I felt like I was trapped in them. Like I couldn't move. I liked to be free, like when I ran, being able to go anywhere.

Once the whole family, with the exceptions of Carlisle and Esme, who had stayed in Arkansas, to hunt around there, was assembled, we went back out through the same dirt road we'd come in. This time, running. We ran in silence, luxuriating the sensation.

After some time, I saw Bella's expression change. It became one of intense longing, and she seemed to be straying more and more to the left. I looked at Edward, trying to understand, but he was too busy talking animatedly to Ruff and Larry about cars. I sighed.

"Alice," I said, moving to stand next to her.

She looked at me, questioning.

"What's wrong with Bella?"

Alice looked over to her sister-in-law and laughed. "We're close now," was all she said to me, before turning to Edward. "Edward, you might want to stop Bella. We're close now, and she seems like she's ready to jump right into Charlie's house through the back window."

Edward looked over to his wife and smiled. He ran a bit faster, staying next to her.

"Bella, calm down. We _will_ go to visit, I promise, but Jasper needs to hunt first."

Bella nodded, shot one more longing glance to the left, then stopped suddenly. "In that case, we shouldn't get much closer," she said.

We all slowed to a stop, too.

Edward nodded. "Mandy, Chelle, Ruff, Larry… the forest is yours. Just don't go to the left of here, which is where the town is. And please try to stay away from a place with a terrible smell. You two girls," he said, pointing at me and Chelle. "Know what it is. We would really appreciate if you didn't get too close to the werewolves."

"Okay," I said, nodding my comprehension.

***

A few hours later, we all met at a clearing with a huge white, old-fashioned mansion on the outskirts of the city.

"Who lived here?" I asked in awe, looking at the house. It was huge, and old-styled, yet perfectly symmetrical. All the windows on the three floors were perfectly identical, and the house itself was rectangular, with the front door right in the middle of the wall that faced us, with beautiful, grand-ish steps going up to it. One of the walls was all made of glass, and that side looked out over the river and the forest.

"A millionaire, apparently," Chelle answered, following my gaze.

Alice, Bella and Rose laughed. I looked at them, confused. Jasper smiled at me and Chelle before, answering.

"This was our home, five years ago."

I felt my jaw drop, and I looked back to the house. "_Wow_," was all I managed to whisper. That remark made the three girls laugh even more. "This is one… uh… _big_ house you have," I stuttered.

Bella sighed. "I miss it. There's no room for the piano in Arkansas."

"Piano? You can play the piano, Bella?"

Bella looked at me, startled. "Not me," she said, smiling. "It's Edward who can. Why don't you play a bit, Edward? I've missed it."

"Yes, Edward, please," Alice begged him.

Edward rolled his eyes, but walked up the porch stairs, took a key out of his pocket, and unlocked the door. He led us in to the living-room, with me and Chelle tagging in last.

It was exactly what one expected to see: huge, spacious rooms, with expensive things. The colors were all different shades of white, designed so as not to frighten possible visitors. Right in front of the door, there was a massive staircase that came down in a gentle curve. To one side of the door, on a little elevated part of the living-room, there was a huge piano. Edward sat on the little bench, while Bella sat next to him, and the rest of us went to the white sofas, on the other side of the room, on a slightly lower level, with a glass wall that looked out to the forest, where a stream could be seen, and a huge plasma TV on a little table close to the wall of glass.

I forgot all about the beautiful view, however, when the music started. It was slow and building, but very sweet, with a slight edge to it. I saw Edward turn to wink at Bella, who had a blinding smile on her face.

"It's her Lullaby, that he composed for her, when they first met," Alice whispered to me. I nodded, to show I'd heard, and went back to listening to the melody. It was the most beautiful music I'd heard for quite awhile now; so melodic and sweet, yet with a tint of sadness and fear...

********************

**A.N.: Thank you to all who have reviewed, and to all of you who endure my delays. =/  
**

**I'm so sorry I didn't manage to thank you all personally this time, but if I did, this chapter would've taken even longer! And since I think you've been waiting for more than long enough, so... :)**

**Anyway... next chapter they'll meet Charlie... now how's THAT gonna go? Huh? Srsly, good question. When you have the characters, and the plot line, the difficult thing is not to rush things too much, and to kind of just let the characters take control of the story!**

**Now, then... the one and only reason why I took so long to update is that, here in Brazil, it's Summer holidays, so I had two solid months; and I went to Europe to see my family, and only came back 2 days ago. Then, tomorrow, school starts again (don't ask me why my school starts on a freakin' _Wednesday_... they're just nuts, I guess...), and things were hell, what with unpacking, and buying my material, that only today did I manage to sit my butt on my chair and present you guys with this - though I'll pretend I didn't, because my mom'll kill me if I tell her! xD.**

**Anyway, R&R please, and I promise next chapter will come sooner, and (hopefully) then I'll manage to aknwoledge each of you then :)**

**Peace,**

**Mandy  
**


	7. Charlie

By now, I knew, of course, that Alice was an unstoppable force of nature. She had her own ways of getting everything thing she wanted and a bit more; all she had to do was put her mind to it.

What I _hadn't_ noticed, was that Bella was a similar force. Only she didn't want so many things, so it wasn't so evident as with Alice. Or that, or she already had everything she wanted. I wondered idly when, in an argument, who of those two'd win.

"But Bella, it's getting late, honey…"

"I know. I don't care. He's my father; I'm going to see him today, whether you come or not, Edward!"

"Of course I'll go with you, love, but I don't think it's a very good idea…"

She ignored his last sentence, grabbed his arm, and started running through the forest, to the area where we'd been told not to go.

Rose rolled her eyes, and Alice laughed, as they ran after the couple, as if this were normal behaviour. Maybe it was, after all. Jasper looked a bit weary, and Emmett was trying to keep up with Edward and Bella, a look of enthusiasm etched on his face, as he tried to see the two of them while they argued.

"Chelle, Mandy… are you four coming or what?" Alice asked, looking over her shoulder. "We have to arrive there together, so as not raise suspicion. C'mon!," she added, impatiently.

We started running through the trees after the Cullens, wondering what on earth we were going to say to Bella's father. He obviously knew the entire Cullen family, after all, he, too, was part of that family; but he wouldn't recognize us, and would probably think it odd for us to have come all the way from Little Rock with his daughter's family for the day.

***

In no time at all, the houses of the little town started popping up. I didn't notice Alice slip away till everybody else stopped, at the forest's fringes, and just stood there, looking at the city, talking in low voices, impossible for human ears to listen. A few moments later, a sleek black Mercedes appeared, and stopped in front of us. We all squeezed in, and Alice sped forward.

I was sure she was way above the speed limit, but I didn't check; that attitude was normal for the Cullens, and I just didn't pay attention to it anymore. It was routine. They'd never been caught, so it wasn't a problem.

So I was shocked to see the police car next to us, when Alice stopped. I hadn't been paying attention, so I hadn't seen if it had followed us or not. I'd been too busy thinking about Bella's father's reaction. I was even more shocked when not only Alice, but all the others filed out of the car, Bella looking like a child who'd been told Christmas had come early this year. I climbed out after Rosalie, looking around curiously. There was no policeman there, just the car, parked on the curb of a little nice-looking house.

How very weird, I thought. It was only then that I noticed the house where my new family was heading to. And I remembered. And I wanted to shoot myself, even though I knew, of course, that it would be utterly useless. Still, the desire was intense.

Of course; Bella's father was the chief of police of Forks. Feeling extremely stupid, I followed a chattery Bella, a bemused Edward, a complacent Rosalie, an extremely excited Alice, and a bored Emmett, play of Jasper's abilities, who'd gotten so bored, he'd decided to spread the feeling. Bringing up the rear, came me, Chelle and our boyfriends, weary, not entirely sure we belonged.

"Bella!" I heard an unknown human voice shout

"Hey, Charlie. I hope we aren't disturbing you," Alice said. "But we were passing by, and Bella refused to leave without seeing you."

Charlie's smile when he heard Alice's words was blinding.

"Well then, come on in, you guys!" he said, stepping aside, to let us all in, and the Cullens filed in the little small house. At the door, I hesitated; Chelle behind me, and the boys bringing up the rear.

Bella noticed we hadn't followed them in, and turned to us, smiling. "Charlie, these are our new friends, Mandy, Chelle, and their boyfriends."

Charlie turned to us, still smiling, and shook our hands warmly, insisting we went in to have something to eat with him and the Cullens.

"So, how long will be staying in town?" Charlie asked Bella eagerly.

Bella's expression turned pained. " We were just passing by, dad," she whispered. "We're going to visit our friends in Alaska. We shouldn't even have stopped here, but I couldn't pass by without seeing you."

Charlie nodded, his face slightly glum. "Okay, then. Well, make yourselves comfortable," he said, indicating the living room. "I'll be back in a second."

We all heard him shuffle off towards the kitchen, and soon after, he emmerged again, this time with a tray with some biscuits and some water. He placed the tray on the little table in the middle of the room, and sat down next to me - the only place left.

Jasper was standing behind my chair, and Charlie sat very close to him. I heard Jasper stop breathing, and felt his body become rigid. Frightened, I looked at Edward. He was staring at Jasper, too, a wary look on his face.

When Charlie leaned to get a cookie, Edward must have read something more definite in Jasper's thoughts, for he got up quickly and walked over to Jasper's side.

"Charlie, really, it's not at all necessary. We really have to get going. We want to get to Canada before it's too dark. I think we'd better get going. Bella, we'll wait for you outside, okay?" he asked. As he spoke, I saw his hand tightening on Jasper's shoulder, restraining him.

Charlie looked up at Edward, confused. "But... you only just arrived. Surely you can pass a night here in Forks?"

Edward shook his head. "Sorry, but we can't, Charlie."

I wasn't paying attention to their conversation anymore; when Charlie had turned to look at Edward, he had leaned over me a bit, and his neck was less than five centimeters away from my mouth. I could hear the hot, pulsing noise of his blood, I could smell the sweet taste, I could see the rhythm of his pulse, behind the fragile protection of his skin... it wouldn't be at all difficult to just reach forward and bite down on that deliciously close neck... as I leaned forward, towards Charlie, Edward's other hand banged down audibly on my shoulder. It hurt a bit, but I didn't pay attention. That blood was so close to me; so hot, so tasty... I inhaled deeply, trying to free my should from Edward's restraining hand so I could reach Charlie. Charlie said something, and his pulse quickened. I was almost salivating already. Edward answered him, and let go of my shoulder. I sighed, happy, and leaned in to him.

Suddenly, I felt Chelle's arms around me, and Charlie had gotten up. I blinked, surprised, and saw the Cullens filing out of the house, back in to the road. "Come on, Mandy," Chelle whispered in my ear, shaking me slightly. "Let's go outside. We're going home now."

I nodded, still a bit dazed by the overwhelming smell, and followed my friends out, leaving Bella and Charlie alone a bit. I sighed, and turned to Edward. "Edward... I'm sorry. I was reckless; I shouldn't have sat down so close to him..."

Edward smiled at me gently, and shook his head. "Don't worry, Mandy. No harm was done. And you have a very good self-restrain, I might add."

I smiled back at him, as Bella came out of the house.

"Let's go," she mumbled, and we all ran back home, none of us looking back to the little house.

***

**A.N: Oh, God... guys, I'm sooooo sorry!**

**I swear I had no intentions of taking this long to update! It's just lately, so much has changed, in so little time... I have other fanfics, that are also stopped, some on the first page still; not even here yet! x)**

**School, tests, parties, trips... and now my mom came down with cancer... what with all that, I haven't really had much time for this story, or for _any__something_ after so much time with nothing at all... ;D** **story, really, so please forgive the minuscle size... I was going to stretch things with Charlie out a bit more, but since this was already ready, I decided I'd give you this now, after all, you deserve **

**chocoholic4eva: naw, draining Charlie would be unfair ;)**

**Okay... I don't know when the next chapter will come out, I don't even know the name yet... but it will come, I promise! =D**

**Till then! **

**Mandy ;***


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